Contents

Plugin support was initially disabled by default, removing compatibility with popular web content types such as Adobe Flash.[8] In September 2011, Flash support has implemented in pre-release builds for pre-Honeycomb versions of Android.[9] Flash support for Android 2.x and 4.x has been enabled for most smartphones in version 14.0, while support for Android 3.x may come in a later release.[10]

The browser's version numbering was bumped from version 2.0 to version 4.0 to more closely match desktop releases of Firefox since the rendering engines used in both browsers are the same.[11]

The codename used for Firefox for mobile is Fennec. It comes from the Fennec Fox, a small desert fox (just as the Fennec browser is a small version of Firefox browser). Firefox for Maemo Beta 5, released in 2009, was the first release to have official Firefox branding, with Firefox name and logo.[65]

As of version 20, Firefox for mobile is only available for Android 2.2 and above devices with an ARMv6 or ARMv7 CPUs.[66] The x86 architecture was then supported in beta,[67] but has not been mentioned in official release notes, except by mentioning a bug in version 28.0 on x86 tablets, that has since been fixed.[49]

An alpha of version 1.1 (1.1 Alpha 1) for Windows Mobile, released on February 19, 2010, is the last build for this operating system.[69][70] Following the Windows Phone 7 announcement and Microsoft's decision not to release a native development kit, development for Windows Mobile was put on hold.[71] If Microsoft releases a native development kit in the future for its Windows Phone OS, then Mozilla will consider again developing Fennec for the platform.[6]

Mozilla has no plans to develop Firefox for webOS.[6] An unofficial port to WebOS was made, but is no longer maintained.[73]

An unofficial port is also available for the OpenPandora handheld console.[74]

While desktop versions are not supported, versions for Microsoft Windows, OS X and Linux were available; these versions were intended as a way to give people who do not have a supported operating system the ability to localize, experiment and build add-ons. Firefox Mobile 10.0.2 was the last version available for desktop systems.[75]

The main complaints about the browser pre-version 14 were slow browsing speed, lack of plugin support and performance issues.[76][77] To address these concerns, Mozilla redesigned the browser in version 14.0, adding Flash support, improving start up speed, as well as other enhancements.[78] This update dramatically improved Firefox for Mobile. As of September 2014[update] the average user rating of Firefox for mobile on the Google Play Store is 4.4.[79]

Despite the continued improvements to the browser, high Google Play Store rating, and 50,000,000–100,000,000 downloads,[80] mobile device users currently seem uninterested in Firefox for Android. The browser as of July 2014 only has 0.69% of the mobile/tablet market share.[81]